After finishing university last year, Ezadiin struggled to find employment before an opportunity arose with VicTrack, the agency which owns and manages Victoria’s rail infrastructure.   

VicTrack, the Victorian Chamber, together with Youth Activating Youth (YAY) and Jobs Victoria, helped facilitate the position through an inaugural Placement Program that matches degree-qualified multicultural interns with employers for a six to eight-week internship.  

“Things don't always go to plan. After I graduated uni, I just started hitting the pedal on trying to get jobs – applying, applying, applying,” he says. 

“Then I came across the YAY internship. It was one of the few internships available because not many are open around the middle of the year. It was a really good opportunity.” 

One of two interns at VicTrack as part of the placement program, Ezadiin works in the Telecommunications change department, helping review and approve changes to VicTrack’s network and IT environment. 

He says that while a university degree is an important milestone, the internship is now teaching him invaluable workplace skills.  

“Coming straight out of uni you already have that professionalism built into you. Fundamentals in terms of how to deal with people, getting on top of topics and following policies … are drilled into you early on. 

“But being an intern has been the biggest eye opener. You get to understand things from a different perspective.  

“The biggest learning curve was meeting a lot of people at a rapid pace. Seeing how many people it takes to run the internship just for one person was insane to see.” 

VicTrack’s Change Manager, Zeljko Mirt, leads the change department and has been impressed with Ezadiin’s progress. 

He says internships require a level of investment but Ezadiin has delivered a strong return on that outlay. 

“He's taken up the day-to-day operations very quickly, faster than the average new starter. He's possessing a lot of very good attitudes and competencies,” Zeljko says. 

“He's providing value to the team by reviewing changes and following the processes, engaging with other team members and cross-functional groups just like any other employee.” 

That sentiment is shared by Ezadiin, who says the workplace skills and culture instilled in him by VicTrack have been worth his time and effort.  

“I've had smooth sailing coming into VicTrack and I'm grateful to be here. I feel my confidence and reliability has increased. The [leaders] trust you to do your job. Trustworthiness comes with it as well. 

“The culture here is also really good – the people, the way you are treated and how everybody [knows] everybody that's starting. 

“The other day I was just walking downstairs and the security guard is just having a chat with me, and then somebody comes over to your desk and buys you a coffee.  

“You just develop so many relationships so quickly and it feels like you've known these people for so long, but it's only been about a month.” 

From the employer’s perspective, Zeljko says the internship program has also provided an opportunity for VicTrack to review its own operational approach.  

“When you get new starters or graduates, you are reflecting and seeing where your gaps are. If your team is not changing, you don't have any cause to ask yourself where the changes need to be.  

“Organisations can uplift their perception by giving back to the community and also increase their reputation among the workforce.” 

Ezadiin is confident that his VicTrack experience will hold him in good stead, whatever the future may hold. 

“Coming into the internship was a bit intimidating, obviously. You don't know what to expect, but when you settle in and figure out things the focus shifts away from being nervous to optimism. You look forward to it. 

“Now I've gained the confidence, I'm happy where I am – or I can look for other opportunities now that I have this internship under my belt.” 

The YAY program continues to offer multicultural and vulnerable youth internship opportunities. More information and registration can be found on the Victorian Chamber’s YAY Placement Program page.